under secretary

American  

[uhn-der-sek-ri-ter-ee] / ˈʌn dərˈsɛk rɪˌtɛr i /

Or undersecretary

noun

(often initial capital letters)

1. an official who is subordinate to a principal secretary, as in the U.S. cabinet.

   Under Secretary of the Treasury.

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Etymology

Origin of under secretary

First recorded in 1680–90

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

under secretary

Emil Michael, under secretary for research and engineering, has led the Defense Department’s negotiations with Anthropic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

The United States "expressed support for Pakistan's right to defend itself against Taliban attacks", Allison Hooker, the under secretary of state for political affairs, wrote on X after talks with her Pakistani counterpart.

From Barron's ● Feb. 28, 2026

"You don't want your next deputy under secretary of the Treasury to go work for a lobbyist for four years,' Fagan said. "You want them to be doing policy planning.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2024

Mr. Donaldson also served briefly as an under secretary of state under Henry A. Kissinger, headed the New York Stock Exchange and was chief executive of the insurer Aetna Inc.

From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2024

And the poor under secretary again endeavoured to escape.

From The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

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